Curtain



Jan. 15, 1946. I 5. LEPQW Y 2,392,930

CURTAiIyi Filed Dec. 31/1943 2 sheets-skeet 1 EDWARD L EPOW- INVENTOR 2-20 Q g I r ATTORNEY g as I as 34 I Jan. -15, 1946.

E. LEPOW I 2,392,9

CURTAIN Filed Dec. 31. 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

us l2 135 E DWA R o L E POW INVENTOR ha /$17M ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 15, 1946 CURTAIN Edward .Lepow, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Home Curtain Corporation, New York, N. a

corporation of New York Application December 31, 1943, Serial No. 516,367

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to curtains or similar window coverings and fiiore particularly to novel combination curtain and tieback constructions and method of making the same.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a window covering structure composed preferably of a flexible fabric material and in which the tied back appearance of the curtain is predetermined to a certain extent and wherein at'least the interengagement of the tieback and the inner edge of the curtain is predetermined.

As is well known in the art, when curtain panels are hung from a rod or other supporting structure adjacent the upper edge of the window or building opening with which they are assoa so called tieback which is constructed to har monize with the curtain panel. The tieback which in use takes a U shaped form has the bight portion thereof engaging the inner edge of th curtain panel while the front and rear legs thereof engage the front and rear surfaces respectively of the curtain panel. The terminals of the tieback are secured to the frame of the window or other building opening. The curtain panels are usually hung in pairs and for the best appearance, it is desirable that the bight portions of the tiebacks on each of the panels become located at substantially the same vertical level. This produces a symmetrical appearance which is pleasing and satisfactory. The majority of prefabricated panel curtains are hung by persons of an average skill who encounter difiiculty in properly positioning panel where the tieback should engage it. Furthermore, even after the tiebacks have more or less frictionally engaged the curtain panels there is a considerable tendency for the parts to shift out of position with'relation to each other. This is caused frequently by a change in the stiffness of the fabrics of which the parts are made, owing to changes in temperature and humidity. The interrelationship in position of the tiebacks and the curtain panels may also change when the curtains are handled to peer between them, or when the curtains ar blown out of position by the wind.

Depending upon the general size and proporance of the curtain and tieback.

tions of the curtain panels them are certain points along the inner edges of the panels where the tieback should embrace the curtain in order to obtain a desired predetermined hung appear- It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means whereby the bight of the tieback will engage the curtain at a predetermined portion thereof not only when the curtains are originally hung, but also when they are rehung after washing or cleaning.

Although the predetermined engagement of the tieback bight and the curtain is beneficial it is desirable however that these parts may be separated during laundering, cleaning and pressing. Such separability not only prevents-the relatively easily damaged extensions of the tieback fronibecoming knotted or torn but also permits the parts to be more properly smoothed or ironed.

It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide combination curtain panel: and tieback structure in which the tieback maybe physically removed from the curtain and sub sequently reassembled in a predeterminedspatial relationship.

In connection with certain curtain constructions, it is desirable that not only the bight or inner curtain edge engaging portion of the tieback be correlated with the curtain panel but also that the legs of the tieback be correlated in position with the outer edge of the curtain panel. It is, therefore, another object herein to provide combination'curtain panel and tieback structure wherein the tieback is detachably engageable with the curtain panel at two portions of the curtain panel. 1

A feature of the construction just described is provided in that the approximate angular positioning of the tiebacks is predetermined and this predetermination of the angle ,of the tiebacks may be made positive within close limits by predetermining the total length. of th tieback.

The present invention discloses curtain panel and tieback combinational structure wherein advantages will more fully appear in the progress tiebacks therefor.

Figure '2 is a front elevational new or the right hand panel of Figure l as removed from the supporting rod and with the valance and tieback re moved.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of a tieback in extended condition.

back inserted in the curtain panel tieback receiving opening with the tieback in U shaped position, but with the curtain panel not retracted.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view, more or lessschematic, asseen from the plane 5-5 on Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view taken similarly to Figure 1 but showing the left hand panel only of a second embodiment of theinvention.

Figure 7 is a front elevational view comparable to Figure 2 showing the curtain panel of Figure '6 with the tieback removed, and in a substantially planar condition. 1 V f Figure 8 is an enlarged fra' menta'ry sectional view, more or'less schematic, 1as seen from the plane8=8 on Figure 6.

Turning now to the first embodiment of. the invention illustrated in Figures 1-5 inclusive, the curtain generally indicated by numeral Hl may include a valence II, a left curtain panel .12, a right curtain panellt, a left tieback l4, and a right tieback l5.

The curtain panels are preferably substantially identical, and since they are so, and this is also true of thetiebacks, a detailed description of one will twice for both.

Thus in Figure 2, the panel l3 may be composed of any suitable material, preferably a flexible textile. A tunnel or rod passage 25 for engageme'nt with the rod 26 may be provided adjacent the upper edge 22 in a well known manner. The panel 13 may be composed of a single piece of material or may as shown he formed by the integration of separate panel portions, as the'panel body portion [6 and the decorative band portion H; The decorative band portion l1 may be disposed along one vertical edge of the panel and may continue along the bottom edge of the panel. Such provision of a decorative band portion in a curtain panel'and the integration thereof with the panel body portion is is well known in the art and as shown for example in Figure '7 may, where desired, be extended around all of the four principal edges of the curtain panel. As shown in Figure 2, the decorative band I! therefor, ma

'include a vertical portion l8 extending along and bordering the inner edge l9 the curtain panel and a bottom horizontal portion 20 extending along and bordering the bottom or lower edge 2 I.

.The upper or top edge of the panel [3 is indicated by reference'character 22 and: the outer vertical or side edge is indicated by reference character 23. a

by severing the material of the panel 13 a dis tance sufiicient to allow the penetration therethrough of the tieback IS. The total size of the opening 24, where the tieback I is composed of compressible or foldable material, may be of a length less than the effective height or the width of the tieback transversely of the longitudinal axis thereof- Depending upon the nature of the material or fabric of which the panel I3 is composedthe'ed'ges of the opening 24 may be reinforced, as desired, and any suitable structure for this purpose may be utilized as for example treating the cut edges with a permanent type sizing,

button hole stitching the edges, or taping them.

, 15 Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view taken similarly to Figure 2 and showing the tie Spaced a substantial distance inwardly from Such reinforcement of raw fabric edges is well known inthe art and is for that reason not particularly described in detail.

' The location of the tieback receiving opening 24 vertically, that is to say between the edges 22 and. 2| is determined largely by the design which it is desired that the tieback panel will form and this in turn is giverned by the aesthetic eli'ect it is'desired to produce or the portion of the window or other building opening which it is desired to uncover.

q The tieback .15 may be of any well known or' desired'construction and the tieback l5 as illustrated is of the fiounced or ruflled type merely by .way. of example to produce a coordinated eflfect with the curtain Ill. The width or .vertical height of the tieback 15 may be varied.

If. it is of .a still material, it is desirable that it be no greater in width than the length of the opening 24 from the upper end 21 to the lower end 28 thereof. The tieback I5 is doubled into U shape in use (see Figure 5) and when so arranged includes a bight 29, a front leg 30 and a rear leg 3|. By reason of this doubling therefore, the length of the legs 30 or 3| with relation to the distance between the opening 24 and the outer edge-23 or the panel l3 affects the amount of gathering of the panel l3 which will take place when the curtain panel is hung and drawn back by the tieback. Making the tieback longer will result in a lesser gathering and making the tieback shorter will result in a greatergathering. When the tieback I5 is inserted through the opening 24 and positioned as shown in Figures 4 and 5 it isth'en drawn back in the direction of the edge 23 and secured to any suitable stationary object as for example the window frame or buildin; opening edge (not shown) by a fastening device 32, such as a tack. The more nearly vertical the-legs 3| and 30 of the tieback l5 are arranged the greater will be the compression of the portion of the curtain panel constricted thereby.

lt may thus be seen that the installation of 'a curtainpanel I3 is a simple and easy matter. The curtain may be supported by penetrating the passage 25 with the rod 26 and hanging the same upon well known brackets 33. The tieba'ck I5 may have been inserted through the opening 24 either prior to the last mentioned operation or at this time and after it is folded into U shape the terminals 34 and 35 of the tieback are drawn over to the edge 23 and secured in a'nysuitable mannot and at any desired angle. sincethe bight 29 is vertically located by reason of the location or the opening 24 it is clear that the bi'ght you always assume the same vertical position and this position in turn is correlated with the curtain panel; By virtue of the location of the blght, although the exact positioning of the terminals 34 and 35 is not indicated, it is more easily doternnned-by an optical correlation by the'iis'i' 0f the position of said terminals with relation to the position of the opening 24 or the bight 29.

It may be noted at this point, and by a perusal of Figure 1 that the compressive effect of the bight 29 and the legs 30 and 3] is not directly exerted upon the decorative band portion I! with the result that this portion adjacent the opening 24 is not subject to the usual crushing effect produced by the bight 23 if the same were to engage the edge I9.

The dismantling of the curtain II] for the purpose of cleaning and/or pressing is a quick and simple matter since apart from the usual operations to remove the tieback I5 it is only necessary to release the fastening device 32 and to pull one of the legs 30 or 3I until the other leg completely passes through the opening 24. After cleaning or pressing the parts may be reassembled in the manner described hereinandabove.

It may be noted that in connection with the second embodiment of the invention, a complete frame for the curtain is provided and there is none of the usual bunchiness or crushing of the peripheral rufiie which is relatively even throughout. This efiect is of course noted in the first embodiment in those portions of the curtain panel where the rufiie is provided.

Turning now to the second embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 6-8 inclusive, it will be seen that the second embodiment difi'ers from the first embodiment principally in three respects. First, the decorative band exists along the top edge I22 in the decorative band portion I36 and along the outer side edge I23 in the decorative band portion I31. Second, a plurality of tieback receiving openings are provided, not only the tieback receiving opening I24 spaced from the inner edge H9, but a secondary tieback receiving opening I38 is provided. Third, the openings I 24 and I38 are obtained by interruptions in the row I39 of stitches which serves to integrate the decorative band portion I I! with the body portion I I6.

For the purpose of avoidin needless repetition parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are given the same reference characters with the addition of a prefix 1.

The operation of the second embodiment of the invention is comparable to that of the first embodiment of the invention with the exception that a portion of the front leg I30 adjacent the terminal I34 penetrates the outer tieback receiving opening I38. This construction serves to locate not only the bight I29 vertically with respect to the curtain panel II3, but also the outer portions, that is to say those portions of the tieback adjacent the terminals thereof. This vertical location of the tieback portions adjacent the terminals thereof with respect to the outer edge I23 of the panel II 3 is accomplished since the terminals I 34 and I 35 are placed in juxtaposition by the penetration thereof by the fastening device I32.

It may thus be seen that by virtue of the construction of the second embodiment where the length of the tie back has been predetermined a substantially predetermined and uniform hung effect will be produced in a plurality of independent draped curtain panels. The practical eiiect of this construction therefore, is that an unskilled person may buy a plurality of curtains (those intended to be used in pairs being symmetrically constructed so that the tieback receiving orifices spaced from the outer and inner edges thereof are at uniform heights respectively) and by merely inserting the tiebacks through the tieback receiving orifices and securing the terminals of the tiebacks in a well known manner obtain a predetermined hung appearance in all of the individual curtains so that the draping effect thereof is uniform and harmonious.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. Curtain construction comprising: an independent tieback; an independent curtain panel provided at its top with means for supporting it from a curtain rod and having a vertical outer edge that is adapted to hang straight, said curtain panel including a panel body with an inner edge and a decorative band secured to the inner edge of said panel body; said curtain panel having an elongated free orifice longitudinally arranged parallel and adjacent to the line of interconnection of the inner edge of said panel body and the decorative band; said tieback extending freely through said orifice and engaging said panel body, said tieback being substantially free of engagement with said decorative band, whereby a portion of the curtain panel may be gathered and drawn toward the outer edge thereof by the tieback, the decorative band being relatively free of compression or gathering by the tieback.

2. Curtain construction comprising: an inde pendent tieback; an independent curtain panel having vertical outer and inner edges and provided at its top with means for supporting it from a curtain rod, said curtain panel including a panel body portion and outer and inner decorative band portions; said panel body portion outer edge being adapted to hang straight; said curtain panel having an outer free opening and an inner free opening; said outer and inner openings being disposed inwardly of the outer and inner band portions respectively; said outer and inner openings being vertically disaligned longitudinally of the curtain panel; said tieback freely passing through both of said openings and being thereby adapted to gather the panel body portion lying between said openings, the decorative band portions being relatively free of compression by said tieback, and the angular disposition of the tieback with respect to the curtain panel being determined by the disaligned location of said openings.

EDWARD LEPOW. 

